Headsets are commonly used with portable electronic devices such as portable music players and mobile phones. Headsets can include non-cable components such as a jack, headphones, and/or a microphone and one or more cables that interconnect the non-cable components. Other headsets can be wireless. The headphones—the components that generate sound—can exist in many different form factors, such as over-the-ear headphones or as in-the-ear or in-the-canal earbuds. In-the-ear earbuds are sometimes referred to as non-occluding earbuds as they generally do not form an airtight seal with the user's ear. Ear buds can also be open or closed to the ambient environment. Open-air earbuds generally have better acoustic performance than closed-air earbuds. However, debris can enter open-air earbuds and damage the earbud components. Accordingly, what is needed is an earbud that is open to the ambient environment while protecting the interior of the earbud.